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It is an honest mistake AND INCOMPETENCE

I have bought twice now from SEP and had zero issues. They came with the copper 90 degree adaptors and in the original Odyssey box with instructions and what not.

I hope they find the order and straighten this out. First I've heard of any such issues so it may be an honest mistake.

First, thank you for letting us all know the adapters are included.

I am certain it is an honest mistake. It is, however, inexcusable that when I pointed out the problem no one was able to give me a responsive answer. I started by asking when I might expect delivery of this item. I included the complete payment information and all the info I had.

I have received zero emails back. Zip. Nada.

The phone number on the site was called and clearly indicated that all questions go through "chat" or email. In chat I learned that I had to submit email to get a response, probably because of the glitch. I asked the chat guy if he could process a refund and not send anything. The "chat" answer was always the same. "I will get someone to contact you ASAP." But they have never called or emailed. Batterymart told me I would receive the battery on June 22 or 24. Amazon was scheduling delivery for June 25. SEP has my money and is not shipping anything or refunding anything or even just communicating. This is by far the most frustrating experience I have ever had with an online purchase. I left the chat guy with these final words last night:

QUOTE:
Stored Energy Products, Inc.
Sir i will make sure you get you reply asap

aperris

Please tell me when that might be since I have already waited 3 full days

And my vehicle does not run without a battery.

Since I paid please ship the battery. It is not rocket science. I ordered. I paid. You ship.

End of QUOTE

If it were not an honest mistake, they would have been out of business a long time ago. This lack of communication is the most irritating mistake. Each chat session ended with that refrain:

I am certain it is an honest mistake. It is, however, inexcusable that when I pointed out the problem no one was able to give me a responsive answer. I started by asking when I might expect delivery of this item. I included the complete payment information and all the info I had.

I have received zero emails back. Zip. Nada.

The phone number on the site was called and clearly indicated that all questions go through "chat" or email. In chat I learned that I had to submit email to get a response, probably because of the glitch. I asked the chat guy if he could process a refund and not send anything. The "chat" answer was always the same. "I will get someone to contact you ASAP." But they have never called or emailed. Batterymart told me I would receive the battery on June 22 or 24. Amazon was scheduling delivery for June 25. SEP has my money and is not shipping anything or refunding anything or even just communicating. This is by far the most frustrating experience I have ever had with an online purchase. I left the chat guy with these final words last night:

QUOTE:
Stored Energy Products, Inc.
Sir i will make sure you get you reply asap

aperris

Please tell me when that might be since I have already waited 3 full days

And my vehicle does not run without a battery.

Since I paid please ship the battery. It is not rocket science. I ordered. I paid. You ship.

End of QUOTE

If it were not an honest mistake, they would have been out of business a long time ago. This lack of communication is the most irritating mistake. Each chat session ended with that refrain:

Sir i will make sure you get you reply asap

Yea, right

3rd party chat support therefore they have no clue as to what's going on. Don't you just hate all these internet companies where you're not able to speak to a human being?

If you were willing to put a dollar value to your time and the effects of the hassle, you might decide buying locally, i.e. from your dealer is more economical. You'll get more back in appreciation from your dealer than some candy in the box.

The typical failure of AGM batteries is a mechanical failure - not a chemical failure. Usually they die when in interplate or intercell connector physically breaks. This happens because of vibration, jolts, jars, and bumps. It can happen early or it can happen late, but the more miles the more jolts.

I can attest to this. I had a Westco (Panasonic actually, back in 2005) battery in my 94 RS to replace the Mareg that lasted eight years. The Westco did fine, until one day it just suddenly, quit working entirely. Two days before it quit I had completed an 800 miles solo tour of upper Michigan (very remote roads). No indication of any issues. But two days later, nothing. Guess I was lucky it didn't happen while on my ride.

Get trained! The best "performance" upgrade you can get is YOU. Visit msf-usa.org for training info.

If only I knew

Originally Posted by lkchris

If you were willing to put a dollar value to your time and the effects of the hassle, you might decide buying locally, i.e. from your dealer is more economical. You'll get more back in appreciation from your dealer than some candy in the box.

You are quite right. I will not lose my money, but I have lost considerable time. Had I known in advance, I would have purchased it locally. This is the first time I have had a hassle like this. Now I have to write Paypal and reverse the payment. Still no response from the store. All emails are still unanswered. What a bummer.

BTW Batteryplus stores carry these for about $150.

I found SEP's Facebook page yesterday and tried to shame them into responding. There is no message for me there either.

UPDATE: I opened a dispute with PAYPAL at noon, and the money was refunded at 3PM. What a relief!

Update Final (I hope):

I found a place selling for less than SEP but with $9.00 shipping it cost me a little more than SEP. I called them and asked about the "L" brackets. They immediately called Odyssey and Odyssey told them the L brackets are included. If you have an Amazon account you can pay with that or with any credit card. Final cost $102.73 shipped to my house direct from the manufacturer. So it cost me about 8 bucks to order from a vendor that provides phone support.

You are quite right. I will not lose my money, but I have lost considerable time. Had I known in advance, I would have purchased it locally. This is the first time I have had a hassle like this. Now I have to write Paypal and reverse the payment. Still no response from the store. All emails are still unanswered. What a bummer.

BTW Batteryplus stores carry these for about $150.

Let's face it. Most all the time you will never "know in advance". The real question is why do we as consumers put up with companies that don't allow telephone calls? Do people really call that customer service? So, how many people are OK when dealing with a company who won't allow you to speak with them?

Lesson Learned

Originally Posted by BC1100S

Apparently, in order to save a few bucks, more than a few.

I won't get caught again. I will always call and unfamiliar vendor. But how do you ever know? Several people may have ordered from a site without phone support and had great results. I won't ever make that mistake. SEP has an 800 number listed under "contact". It is only if you call the number that you find out they offer no support by phone.

As for saving a few bucks, it is more than a few. The local BMW dealer wanted $193 for the same battery PLUS tax. That is significant.

I won't get caught again. I will always call and unfamiliar vendor. But how do you ever know? Several people may have ordered from a site without phone support and had great results. I won't ever make that mistake. SEP has an 800 number listed under "contact". It is only if you call the number that you find out they offer no support by phone.

As for saving a few bucks, it is more than a few. The local BMW dealer wanted $193 for the same battery PLUS tax. That is significant.

I'm sure you realize that my comment wasn't directed solely at you. We all love to save a few bucks and yes, the BMW part costs a bunch more. I've always made an effort to support local suppliers for the simple reason that they support me. Hope this all works out for you.

No Offense Taken and BMW Charger Information

Originally Posted by BC1100S

I'm sure you realize that my comment wasn't directed solely at you. We all love to save a few bucks and yes, the BMW part costs a bunch more. I've always made an effort to support local suppliers for the simple reason that they support me. Hope this all works out for you.

While I was looking for a new battery I ran into some information on BMW chargers.

I own the BMW Model 72 60 7 679 040 charger. I was trying to find out if it puts out 13.3 volts which the Odyssey PC680 requires for winter layovers. The charger itself says output is 12 volts. I was hoping someone knows or can direct me to the specifications for the unit. If not, I will invest in a volt meter.

None of the typical standard chargers put out a voltage high enough for the Odyssey. They won't "ruin" the batteries but if you want to get the max life and potential out of an Odyssey battery it's best to get a charger specifically designed for them. They use a very high charge current initially and go into maintenance mode at a higher voltage. All the specs are on the Odyssey site.

I have an Odyssey purpose built charger and what I find is that the bike's charging system does not get the voltage up high enough so every now and again I plug the charger in even though it does not really need it and it charges for 10 to 20 minutes and then goes into maintain mode. Most BMW bikes charge at 13.9 - 14.0 volts and settle down to 12.6 volts overnight if the battery is healthy and holding a good charge. You can modify an oilhead alternator to charge higher and you can put an adjustable regulator in an airhead to charge higher as well.

You will get a ton of discussion and opinions on this by searching here and many feel running .4 or .5 volts higher that BMW designed will destroy your bulbs, your wiring and maybe the whole universe. Too many electrons pushed through too little copper is my favourite "theory" I've read so far.

You will get a ton of discussion and opinions on this by searching here and many feel running .4 or .5 volts higher that BMW designed will destroy your bulbs, your wiring and maybe the whole universe. Too many electrons pushed through too little copper is my favourite "theory" I've read so far.